


Second Chance

by shinee5



Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, M/M, Trust Issues, but it's in the past and is only mentioned once, dance crew!au, he found a new family with his dance group, idk why i wrote that into the story but ok, mentions of smoking, so tw: mentions of abusive family, taemin has kind of a rough past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-02-01 02:09:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12694881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinee5/pseuds/shinee5
Summary: In which Taemin discovers that the boy he’s dating is dancing in his arch-rival group - a lot of misunderstandings ensue.





	Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted here a few years ago: http://asongofaceanddanger.tumblr.com/post/122193910785/second-chance-taeminkey-pg-13  
> It was written as a present for Bry, but sadly I don't know what username she has now ...  
> Please keep in mind that this is kind of old, since I'm reposting a lot of my old stuff ><
> 
> some inspiration for the dance!au came from watching these videos (i hope the links still work):  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8hM3ny6PNI (maxstep)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgQcaVGEJYw (taemin dance)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFtm2O78qKw (shinee/taekey dance)

"We - we shouldn't meet anymore."

"What are you saying?", Kibum asked, his eyes widening as he heard the words stumbling out of Taemin's mouth.  
They were standing outside of the restaurant Taemin worked at as a waiter, his shift having ended and Kibum having wanted to pick him up like he always did on tuesdays.  
"They told me we should stop", the younger all but whispered in response.  
Kibum frowned. "I know they're your best friends, but do you seriously want them to decide whether we can be together or not?"  
"I don't know what I want", Taemin cried out."They said that you aren't honest to me, that you could be a spy for your crew, that I shouldn't trust you, and I have no idea what to believe."  
Exhausted by his sudden outburst, he ran his hands through his hair and looked up hesitantly to see Kibum's reaction.

He took a step back as he saw the hurt in the other's eyes.  
"Are you saying you don't trust me? Do you think I was lying to you this whole time?", Kibum said incredulously.  
"I just can't stop thinking about what if it's true, that's all", Taemin sighed, then turned around and walked away, holding back his tears like he had done so many times before.

Kibum didn't call him back.

~

As soon as Taemin had arrived at the apartment he shared with his two best friends Ravi and Jongin, he fled into his room and locked the door.  
He knew his friends wouldn't suspect something severe at first if he locked himself in, since he often wanted to be left alone after his stressful workshifts.  
It was different this time, though.  
Taemin wasn't exhausted from his work – he was questioning everything that had happened in the last few months.  
He sat down on the floor and put his earphones in, then started to do a little warm up and some stretches.  
Dancing always had managed to clear his mind since he'd been a child.  
That's why he was part of a dance crew, the Youniques, together with Ravi, Jongin and a few others that had joined in later, like Henry or Luna.  
And he was very proud to be in this crew, since they had won several competitions already.  
The one thing that kept them from being the best in their area was their absolute rival and enemy called "The Unit". With their perfected synchronization and organization they had defeated the Youniques a couple of times, but for Taemin's group the competition that would take place in two weeks was the chance for their revenge.  
Just now Taemin wasn't very sure whether they would be successful this time, and his doubts were all thanks to a certain Kim Kibum.  
"Listen", Jongin had said with surprising seriousness the day before. "I saw Kibum talking to Jinki today."  
Taemin had been utterly confused.  
"What do you want to tell me? Should I know this Jinki?", he'd asked cluelessly.  
"Well, yeah, you should", Ravi had intervened. "He's the damn leader of the Unit, and Kibum was talking to him about their plans for the competition, so apparently he's one of their members."  
He had taken a deep breath before continuing. "Taemin, what have you told Kibum about our performance?"  
Taemin had frowned, still hadn't wanted to believe what his friends were saying.  
"You mean he's ..." "... probably not the person you thought he was", Jongin had sighed. "I'm so sorry, Tae."

Now, lying on the hard floor of his room, Taemin was absolutely sure they had been right - Kibum hadn't even denied being in the Unit when he had confronted him today.

He bit his lips, trying to focus on his stretches, but his mind kept wandering off.  
It had been a terrible mistake to think he was finally ready to open up his heart to someone else, and it had proven once again that he could trust no one but the people who had always stayed by his side no matter what.  
Sometimes Taemin thought he deserved this for running away from his old home, but his friends always reassured him that he had done nothing wrong and he shouldn't blame himself so much.  
It was hard to accept it because he'd been brought up with the belief everything bad that had happened in his old family was his fault and he had to be punished for it.  
As soon as he'd turned eighteen, he'd begun a new life, left everything toxic behind, had found a new family in Jongin and Ravi, but that didn't mean his past wouldn't haunt him on some days.

Luckily enough, he was interrupted in his thoughts by a loud knock on his door.  
"Taemin?", Ravi asked from the outside.  
"Yeah?", he replied, pulling his earphones off and settling on his bed.  
"Rehearsals are in a few", he heard him saying. "Jongin's waiting already."  
Taemin took a deep breath before he replied.  
"Go without me."

For a moment, everything was silent. Then, he heard another pair of feet shuffling towards his room.  
"What's up?", Jongin asked.  
"He doesn't want to come with us", Ravi answered nervously.  
"But ... you can't miss our training today, Tae", Jongin insisted.  
"You've heard him", Taemin said, still speaking through the closed door, not bothering to stand up and go outside. "I need to be alone for sometime. Please", he added when there was no ultimate response. "I can't do this right now."  
"Then what about your Solo?"  
"I can still work on that here, Jongin. But to be honest, I don't even want to think about this silly competition anymore ..."  
"Taemin", Jongin sounded clueless as to what would be the best to tell his best friend. "If ... if you feel like talking to one of us, just call us, alright? We'll be there."

I know, Taemin wanted to say as they were waiting for his reply, I know, you'll always be there.  
But no words left his lips.

~  
Unsuprisingly, Kibum didn't come to eat at Taemin's workplace the next week like he always had.  
At least he had understood Taemin's words, he thought as he washed dishes and served meals.  
It still hurt an awful lot how Kibum had crept his way into Taemin's heart only for him to find out about his lies.  
Actually, he hadn't exactly lied, but he had held the truth from Taemin, and that was already enough, since the same thing had happened far too many times back in his childhood.

Jongin and Ravi had tried to comfort him over the last few days, and he was thankful for that. He still hadn't gone to the crew's rehearsals, though. He was still so unsure of what he should do, if he even should dance at the competition against the Unit.  
Of course, he would get some sort of revenge if the Youniques would win, but on the other hand he would have to make a whole new choreo for his Solo, since he had told Kibum a lot about that, and he would have to see him again which he definitely did not want at this moment.

Just then he was interrupted in his thoughts by a man's voice.  
"Excuse me, can I order now?", he asked, and as Taemin looked up he found himself standing at the very table where Kibum had first approached him.  
It felt like that had happened years ago, although it was just about two months since he'd sat there and had ordered a nice meal for his lunch break ...  
"Yeah, of course", he said absentmindedly, receiving a kind smile from the other.  
He had a feeling he knew this guys face from somewhere, but he couldn't quite figure it out so he just took his order and came back shortly after with a can of beer and some snacks.  
Right as he wanted to return to the kitchen, the man stopped him by grabbing his wrist firmly. Immediately, Taemin twisted the other's hand around until he let go hesitantly. Taemin had learned how to defend himself quickly since he begun working here – and it was quite necessary since this area wasn't exactly the nicest neighbourhood.  
"Try that once more, and I'll get you kicked out of here", he hissed, startled as the man smiled again reassuringly.  
"I'm sorry", he said. "But we really need to talk."  
Taemin frowned in response. "Why should I talk to you? I don't even know you -" "I'm Jinki", the man said, and suddenly it all fell into place and he remembered where he'd seen him before.  
The Unit's leader was standing right in front of him.  
"What do you want?", he snapped at the guy who sat down again to take a sip of his drink.  
"Look, Kibum doesn't talk to me anymore", he answered, popping some snacks into his mouth. "In fact, he doesn't talk to anyone anymore."  
"What do I care?", Taemin replied coldly, ignoring the pain in his chest at the mention of Kibum. "He's none of my business."  
"Come on, Taemin, we both know that's not true", Jinki said. "He also pretty much doesn't leave his room besides work, not even for dance practice."  
"I still don't understand why that's supposed to be my problem – besides, you all should be happy with what you've done, right? You have all the information you need, there's nothing to be upset about. Absolutely nothing", he hissed angrily. "Now pay your beer and get out of here."  
Jinki seemed to consider replying, but he just shook his head and shoved some coins onto the table before leaving.

~

Outside, Jinki groaned in frustration.  
This conversation couldn't have been going worse, he thought as he lit himself a cigarette.  
He shrugged, turning to walk back to his apartment and maybe try and talk to Kibum again.

At least that was his plan before he bumped into a tall figure on the sidewalk.  
"Hello, Jongin", he greeted after realizing who he'd stumbled into.  
"Since when do you smoke, Jinki?", the other frowned in response.  
"It's just stress relief", he stated, before adding "and I really need that now."  
Jongins frown deepened.  
"Why of all people would you need this? And more importantly, what are you doing here?", he pointed accusingly at the restaurant behind him.

Jinki sighed. "Jongin, I need answers. We need to prepare for the competition, but Kibum won't talk to me anymore and I don't even know why. He just told me of Taemin, so I figured I'd ask him what this is all about – well, I didn't actually get to ask him."  
"W-what?"  
Jongin seemed puzzled. "Why would you not know what's happened – you were the one who set this all up!", he spat. "You let Kibum hurt our Taemin – I don't ever want to see you around here, do you understand?"  
"Wait", Jinki said confused. "I think there's a misunderstanding here. How about you come with your team to our studio so we can clear this up?"

 

Somehow, he got Jongin to agree and so Jinki's rented dance studio was crammed with people that evening. Every member of the Youniques and the Unit had come, except for Taemin and Kibum.  
"Okay, guys", Jinki said while nervously looking over to his members. "I figured we really needed to get this out of our way so both of us teams can focus on the competition."  
"As if", one of the Youniques shouted angrily. "You wanted Taemin to get distracted, that's the whole reason why we're here, isn't it?"  
"I guess we all should just listen to what Jinki has to say before getting into arguments, alright?", Ravi replied calmly and gestured towards the Unit's leader to continue.  
Minho and Jonghyun were smiling at him from where they leaned against the mirror, encouraging Jinki to speak again.  
"So, we both have members missing because of this misunderstanding - do you really think I'd want Kibum to lock himself up all day? Have I ever played foul like this? I want a fair competition, and it won't be a good one if members are absent.  
See, Kibum's only been in the Unit for a few months now, so I was aware when he told me about his new date that Taemin probably didn't know about that. And I just warned him that he was a part of the Youniques and let him decide what to do because it's his own life and relationship and I won't ever interfere with that."  
He paused a bit before adding, "I promise he never told me anything about your plans, please believe me."  
It was silent for a while as the others tried to let his words sink in.  
Then, Jongin spoke up. "Now how do we fix this mess?"  
Jinki smiled. "Well, I have an idea, and I hope it works."

~

It was ten in the morning and Taemin was still in bed due to yesterday's night shift when somebody rang the front door.  
"Jongin! Ravi!", he shouted groggily when nobody seemed to open the door.  
He got no response though – they were probably off to work or dance practice already – and thus had to get up and open it himself.  
As if this wasn't bothersome enough, it turned out to be Kibum standing outside his apartment, wringing his hands nervously.  
Taemin just stared at him for a moment, thinking he had to be dreaming, before reality kicked in and he tried to close the door as quick as possible.  
That didn't work too well though, since Kibum squished himself through the door and entered the room.  
There was a few seconds of awkward silence between them when the door fell shut behind him, until they both started talking at the same time.

"Come on, Taemin, just listen to what I have to say before shutting me out again -"  
"Why do you know where I live, Kibum?"  
The latter rolled his eyes at the question. "Ravi gave me the address."  
That made Taemin fall silent. If Ravi had given out their address he must have had a reason for it, that was for sure.  
"Now please let me talk to you and clear things up", Kibum continued.  
"I was speechless when you just walked away from me that day. You only confronted me with your suspicions and didn't even let me explain anything. But since you said you didn't want to meet me anymore, I respected your decision. And the next thing I know is that Jinki and Ravi and basically everyone else from our teams were standing in front of my room, demanding that I fix this mess. So, here I am to tell you that I've never been a spy for the Unit, and I would've never thought of lying to you."

Taemin stared at him for a long moment, before he shook his head. What Kibum said didn't make any sense, or did it?  
"Please believe me", Kibum cried out, and Taemin realised with shock that his eyes were filled with tears.  
"It's not as simple as you think", Taemin said with a pained expression. He felt like suffocating, drowning under all these thoughts that were swirling around in his mind, all these misunderstandings and hurt feelings and old memories he didn't want to recall.  
It was Kibum's voice that pulled him out of this mess of thoughts again. "Taemin", he sobbed now, "you have to give people a second chance sometimes, please. I wouldn't stand to lose you again."

When Taemin saw the tears streaming down the other's face, everything was suddenly too much.  
With one step forward he pulled the crying Kibum into his arms and held him steady.  
"Don't cry", he whispered. "I'm sorry for hurting you with my suspicions ... I was so confused – I still am – and ...", he breathed slowly in and out to calm down, " it's not easy for me to trust people, so I didn't know how to handle the situation-"  
"It's okay", Kibum said and lifted his head so Taemin could see a hopeful little smile on his still slightly trembling lips. "We'll be okay, we can do this, can't we?"  
And for once, Taemin dropped all his defenses and let himself fall, even though he wasn't sure if he would land safely.  
"You're right – we can."

Later, when they'd somehow made it to the couch, a sudden thought crossed Taemin's mind.  
"So, are we both gonna participate in the competition?", he mumbled while running his fingers through Kibum's soft hair.  
The other looked up at him from where his head was resting on Taemin's lap, his eyes still red and swollen from all the crying.  
"I nearly forgot!", he exclaimed excitedly. "Actually we're going to participate together in the contest, as one group."  
"What-"  
Kibum laughed at Taemin's puzzled expression. "The teams didn't only tell me to talk to you about us, they also told me of their decision to put us all together. We're the Younique Unit now."  
As he slowly realised what Kibum had said, Taemin thought he couldn't be happier as he was now, with Kibum by his side, and many more hours to come spent with him in the future.


End file.
